Introduction
The 1920s was a very well-known decade in the United States. This decade was called the “Roaring Twenties.” It was known for all of the fun and mischief that was going on during this time period. In the 1920s, everyone went through many big political and social changes. The 1920s had many good inventions that were created during this decade. The biggest inventions that have helped and impacted Americans the most would have to be the Model T automobile and the airplane. One of the biggest but worse things that grew during this time period was organized crime. The fads (widely shared enthusiasm for something) during this time sound very intriguing and very different from what we do for entertainment in America today.
Body
The Dark Side of Innovation
One of the huge changes was the Model T; this automobile was also known as the “Tin Lizzie.” The Model T was made by Henry Ford in 1908. This car was the first affordable vehicle for Americans. Originally, Henry Ford sold the Model for two thousand dollars but lowered the price to $950 for Americans to be able to afford an automobile. Over fifteen million of these types of automobiles were built. They were made at plants all around Europe. The automobile changed both the rural and urban sides of America. The automobile made transportation much faster and easier for people around America. Over time, automobiles have influenced society in many ways and have changed and just gotten better. Due to this automobile being created, Americans began traveling across the country because they could travel to farther places faster than they ever could before.
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The Underbelly of Prosperity
The airplane was another huge change that occurred in the 1920s. The first person ever to fly nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean was Charles Lindbergh in 1927. Charles Lindbergh was a barnstormer. A barnstormer is a pilot who travels the country doing many dangerous stunts. While Lindbergh was the first person to fly over the Atlantic, Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly a plane across the Atlantic Ocean. Barnstormers are pilots that perform very dangerous stunts in front of audiences and sell plane rides to the people in the audience. They travel across the country to perform these stunts. One of the most famous barnstorming groups was called the “Gates Flying Circus.” The airplane made it easier to transport goods, supplies, and people to other places around the world.
There was much-organized crime going on throughout the 1920s. The most well-known gangster for the bad things that he had done was Al Capone, who was born in Brooklyn, New York. During the height of prohibition in the 1920s, Al Capone’s multi-million dollar operation in bootlegging (the illegal distribution of goods), prostitution, and gambling took over the organized crime there. Another big event that happened during the roaring twenties was the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. On February 14, 1929, seven people were killed in the massacre. Al Capone was the reason that these seven people were slaughtered. The organization grew very fast because the organizations kept their illegal crimes a secret.
Fads of the 1920s were very different from what we do for fun in the United States today. They played “flagpole sitting” for entertainment because they did not have tv, internet, or a good radio like we do today. Flagpole sitting is when a small platform is sat on the top of a flagpole, and a person sits on the top of the flagpole for extended periods of time. Some stayed on the poles for hours, some even longer. Back in the 1920s, young women known for their freedom were called “flappers,” while young men were called “sheiks.” Marathon dancing was another big fad back then. Marathon dancing was when couples would dance for hours and hours on end so that they would win the dancing contest. More leisure activities were dancing, playing sports, reading, and listening to the radio.
Conclusion
There were many positives and negatives that went on during the decade of the 1920s. Some of the best things that happened for the Americans were the Tin Lizzie automobile and the airplanes. Although there were some good things, there was the growth of organized crime in America. They used many forms of entertainment back in the 1920s. The role of women in the 1920s changed a lot. Women got the right to vote during the 1920s. Women changed their fashion to newer fashion. Advertising got really big during these years, whether it be in magazines, newspapers, radio, or movies. Electricity was huge in this decade. It made everything so much easier. The 1920s went through some major changes over the decade. These changes were both social and political. The economy was forever changed after the inventions of the Model T and airplanes and even after the growth of organized crime.
References
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“One Summer: America, 1927” by Bill Bryson
- “Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity, and the Women Who Made America Modern” by Joshua Zeitz
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“The 1920s: An Illustrated History in Colour, 1919-1929” by Mike Brownlow
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“Crazy Years: Reflections of a Science Fiction Original” by Spider Robinson
“Is Google Making Us Stupid?” – Analysis Of The Impact Of Internet
Introduction
Today, as the number of internet use increases unbelievably, we all use cell phones for work and study. It is a problem of society that we make cell phones become what we cannot live without.
Impact of Internet Dependency on Cognitive Processes
Nicholas Carr makes a similar argument in his article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” when his main point is that as the internet becomes our primary source of information, it begins to affect our ability to read books and other long pieces. The first thing Carr does is share a problem with the audience about how he can’t focus on reading. He goes on to give a very well-researched account of how text on the internet is supposed to make the browsing experience fast and profitable. But I am not sure if this article is quite about whether or not Google itself is making people stupid. I think Carr is more likely to notice the fact that the internet as a whole is making people’s thinking processes slightly different. Carr describes that he conferred with some of his friends about the fact that he noticed something interesting in his own thinking process. He tried to read a long article and noticed that his attention kept wandering to other things and that this was odd for him because paying attention to an especially long text had never been such an issue for him as it seemed to be now. What Carr explains in his article is that this is a concern to him, and he is essentially warning us about the possible effects of further dependence on the internet. It appears that he relies heavily on his fame to convince readers of his point of view because he uses his opinion quite often. Next, he observes that other forms of media have also changed in recent years. He says that magazines and newspapers have added “capsule summaries” and “info snippets.” (Carr 92) His claim is that the media have to catch up with the way people are going to receive and take in information now. He makes a claim on why he thinks this is changing but once again doesn’t say if he believes that’s a good or a bad thing, so at this point, the reader is still unsure of his position.
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Carr’s article, ‘Is Google Making Us Stupid,’ does bring up some valid points, most of which are grounded in historical facts. However, I feel as though his word choices are a bit skewed. His arguments are based on laziness rather than stupidity; Google makes things easier for the user but ultimately does not make them stupider.
